On Nov. 19, 2017 I ran Yotsukaido Gas Light 10 K Road Race 2017. I finished at 42'55". It's my third best time for this distance. Here is how I ran the race:
The race was scheduled to start at 10:45 a.m. I went to the waiting area twenty minutes before the gun went off. While waiting, some runners noticed that I was barefooted, and asked me how I was able to do it. My answer was always, "I don't know, 'cause this is my first official race to run barefooted." The gun went off at exactly 10:45 a.m. Mr. Koide, the former coach of Sydney Olympics gold medalist Naoko Takahashi was a guest, and he said hi to all runners. We all said hi back to him. As the runners left the start line, the leading group quickly picked up the pace and the crowd spread out. I carefully ran on the center line where the surface was smooth in order to minimize the friction between my soles and the pavement. The first 700 m was the key. The road condition was the worst there. Fortunately I was able to avoid rough surface in this initial phase of the race, and from then on the road condition presented no problem.
Every now and then a cheerer or two noticed my running barefooted, and wildly reacted to the feat, saying, "Gee, he's barefooted!" or "Goodness, that guy has nothing on," and so on.
This year I was more comfortable than all of the previous races because I test-ran a week before, so I traced the course as if I was going home from work. About less than one kilometer from the turning point, I saw the leaders coming from the turning point and heading for the goal. Ordinarily, I would yell, "Nice run," but this year I was so focused that I said nothing and hammered down the street.
Soon I reached the turning point and headed toward the goal. Shortly after I passed the halfway point that came soon after the turning point, Eiro, my friend from high school days, found me and said, "Go, Gakuji."
The course is rich in slight undulation. Few slopes are steep (except for the ones near the start/finish line), but nevertheless they affect the runners. In the past races I would increase the speed in down slopes, but this year I didn't. For one thing, when you are running barefoot, it creates unnecessary friction between the sole and the road surface, which could lead to blisters. This should be avoided. So I kept the same pace, saving energy for a final surge.
In no time I found myself passing the sign that said 2 more kilometers to go. A big upward slope awaited ahead. A runners overtook me, sounding out of breath. I let him go, knowing he would not last long. I reached the entrance to the upward slope. I changed the gear and took shorter strides to minimize energy loss. God knows how many times I practiced this in my training. It was not easy, but it was manageable. It was the same as all those countless uphill repeats I had done.
When I finally reached the top of the slope, I was already within a kilometer of the finish line! I gave it everything I'd got. I came to the zone where the road condition was the worst. I carefully chose to run on painted lines, but the paint was scraped and the surface was not as smooth. But by then I didn't really bother. I pressed on. At 500 m to the finish line, I heard an announcement through the speaker that said 42 minutes something. Thinking that I might be able to finish within 43 minutes, I kicked and put on a spurt, swinging my arms like a track athlete. The arch over the finish line came nearer and nearer with each step. I closed my eyes and kicked. The next moment I was on the other side of the finish line. I stopped my watch. It said 42:54! I did it. For the first time in my life did I complete a race barefooted, and I finished under 43 minutes!
Although I couldn't renew my PB, I feel deeply satisfied with the result, and even proud of myself for the feat. I got a tremendous amount of moral support from cheerers along the roads as well as from some runners who ran the race with me both before and during the race. There must be something in running without shoes that commands a sense of awe. My next race is a half marathon in Hadano City, Kanagawa Pref. It takes place on the 3rd of Dec. I am planning to run the first 15 K in aqua slippers, and the remaining 6.1 K barefoot.
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